Little Tokyo is a Japanese American Historic District in Los Angeles and was founded around the beginning of the 20th century. Little Tokyo is located in downtown Los Angeles and is the cultural center for Japanese Americans in the United States. Little Tokyo began as a square mile section of downtown Los Angeles with large sections of retail shops and vegetable stands dominating the majority of commercial space. The Japanese American immigrants were sent to internment camps during the 1950's but returned several years later in larger numbers. The lack of housing in Little Tokyo caused returning residents to expand the original borders several block in each direction.
During the 1970's a redevelopment movement started as Japanese companies began expanding their overseas operations and several new shopping plazas and Japanese banks opened in the area. Although new buildings were built in place of original structures there are a few original structures that remain, especially along First Street. During the 1970's and 1980's artists began moving into the industrial area of Little Tokyo and Al's Bar, Gorky's and the Atomic Cafe are results of this movement.
There are several cultural attractions located within Little Tokyo including the Japanese American National Museum and the Geffen Contemporary Museum of Art. During the year several festivals are also held within Little Tokyo including the Nisei Week festival held in August which includes a large parade, pageant, exhibits of Japanese art and culture and more.
